The present invention relates to a transport cart for transporting a patient care apparatus from one location to another within a medical facility.
During the care of patients in a medical care institution, particularly with the care of infants, the infant is often maintained in a specialized environment contained within an infant care apparatus, such as an incubator or a combination incubator and warmer. An example of an infant incubator is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,824 of Koch et al entitled “Infant Incubator With Air Curtain” and a combination apparatus that combines the function of the infant incubator along with the function of an infant warmer is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,935 of Mackin et al and entitled “Infant Warming Apparatus” and both of which patents are assigned to the assignee of the present application.
In either types of the aforedescribed infant care apparatus, the infant is normally resting on a bed within the apparatus, however, there are times where the infant must be moved from one location to another within that medical facility. While it is, of course possible to remove the infant from the particular infant care apparatus and thereafter transport the infant by means of a separate vehicle, it is more advantageous to move the infant care apparatus itself with the infant still contained therein. In such manner, the various services and treatment being provided to the infant need not be discontinued, such as monitors and the like and also there is less disruption and consequent stress to the infant since the infant can remain in the protective environment throughout the move rather than being removed therefrom during the move and eventual returned back to the protective environment of the original infant care apparatus.
Accordingly, to facilitate or carry out the move of the infant care apparatus containing the infant, there can be used a transport cart that basically docks with the infant care apparatus and both the infant care apparatus and the transport cart are moved, coupled together. The infant care apparatus is thereby disconnected from the normal electrical power and gases, such as oxygen and air, supplied by the medical facility and those basic needs are thereafter provided by the transport cart during the move. The transport cart normally has batteries to supply the electrical power and gas tanks to supply the needed gases to the infant care apparatus. As such, the transport cart and the infant care apparatus are moved together without any loss of service or care to the infant.
One of the difficulties, however, with the use a transport cart that docks with an infant care apparatus is that the combined transport cart and infant care apparatus becomes difficult to traverse inclining and declining surfaces since one or more wheels can be raised off of the surface over which the combined transport cart/infant care apparatus is being moved and there is a corresponding loss of stability and control. Thus, the overall combination transport cart/infant care apparatus is rather unwieldy and is difficult to maneuver over such surfaces such as door portals, ramps and the like.
One proposed solution to the problem is in the use of a specialized flexible coupling that makes the connection between the transport cart and the medical apparatus and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,739 of Newkirk and entitled “Docking Assembly”. In that patent there is shown a pair of spaced-apart leaf springs that join a first piece of medical equipment to a second piece of medical equipment and the use of those leaf springs is stated to enable the combined apparatus to move over even an irregular surface without suffering from unintended decoupling.
It would be therefore advantageous to have an alternate means of allowing a combined transport cart and medical apparatus to traverse over irregular surfaces, including inclines and declines smoothly and easily.